MEMBERS' HIGHLIGHTS

22 february-31 may 2011

Interbionews editorial by Alain-Michel Boudet, Director of the Interbio project

Interbio constitutes a science- and business cluster in the field of biology and health which operates in the framework of the European Interreg IV B Sudoe programme. Founding members are from South West of France, Portugal and Spain. Having been operational for more than one year, the project has already demonstrated its ability to foster trans-national interdisciplinary research and to create a network of technology platforms and advanced instrumentation. It has also initiated a process of analysis of best practices in the area of technology transfer.

In 2010, a comparative study based on 25 indicators has been carried out to evaluate the innovation performances of European countries in the field of biotechnologies. Such a study indicates that Northern countries, in particular Germany, Finland, Denmark and Sweden, are more efficient than Southern ones. In an increasingly competitive environment, Interbio provides a unique opportunity to join forces and to develop initiatives that may provide South-West European countries with a leading edge in the world of knowledge and technology transfer

Long-term benefits to be expected from this transnational project may also include:

- access to new ideas by learning from others as well as sharing and discussing our own ideas with our transnational partners.

- opportunity to spread best practices through maximum use of available expertise.

- facilitated access to other European funding programmes, networks and associations

- use of the Interbio network as a strategic tool, which can be exploited to profile our regions within the relevant European institutions.

- potential lobbying tools to influence European decision makers.

With this Newsletter we provide a new dimension to communication within the Interbio cluster. Efficient communication is one of the keys to community building, which, in turn, is an essential step in bringing together people that are open to changes and willing to contribute to the objectives of Interbio. I express my sincere thanks to Pierre Emmanuel Gaultier, communication officer for Interbio at the IECB (Bordeaux), for being the trigger of this useful initiative and for taking care of its launch.